Jaxon Duttenhefer

from MHS Courier November 2020

The Future of MHS Students

Jaxon Duttenhefer Breaks Barriers

Jaxon Duttenhefer is a Mandan High school senior. He first joined football in the third grade under the Mandan Touchdown Club. In sixth grade, he began to lift weights everyday, and has been motivated to improve his skills ever since. “I’ve been around football my whole life, and I started playing football in third grade,” Duttenhefer said. Duttenhefer has beat several weightlifters since he began, he credits a lot of his accomplishments to Coach Morast. Coach Morast works with the younger kids in weight lifting, and teaching them new and important skills. “Coach Morast does an amazing job with the younger kids in getting them introduced to the lifts, while stressing a full range of motion,” Duttenhefer said. During his high school career Duttenhefer has beat several school records. During his freshman year he beat the power clean and bench record, in the following years he went on to — Scout Hurley, Assistant Editor-in-Chief

beat the power clean (again), bench, and squat records. “The biggest challenge I had to overcome was getting faster,” Duttenhefer said. “Speed is important in any sport, and it takes a lot of work to get faster.” In the years to come he hopes to be a starter for the North Dakota State University football team, then eventually onto the NFL. In his free time Duttenhefer enjoys reading, he is also interested in accounting. “I stay motivated by knowing that there are countless other kids around the nation doing something when I am doing nothing,” Duttenhefer said. “I work harder and more often to not fall behind.” Staying motivated is very important to Duttenhefer, especially considering his future goals. His dedication to football and weight lifting is what has allowed him to come this far.